Country music superstar Kenny Chesney spoke to Bill Maher on Monday about why he personally rejects the idea that celebrities should tell people who to vote for.
On talk show host Bill Maher’s podcast “Club Random,” Chesney asked the host if he was a fan of fellow New Jersey rock star Bruce Springsteen.
Maher admitted to being a Springsteen fan, but seemed to regret immediately starting to think of Springsteen in a political context. Springsteen has been one of the most outspoken liberal celebrities in recent years, having faced backlash for alienating some fans and leading an anti-Trump “No Kings” tour.
“I just refuse to do that. I was so grateful when I went on your show in November that you knew I didn’t want to talk about it,” Chesney said.
Maher, like his show, is versatile in that he likes to talk to different people about different topics, and said California Governor Gavin Newsom is someone who, as a presidential candidate, could discuss political issues more specifically.
“I’ve never felt like this is my place,” Chesney said of talking about politics in public.
“It’s not always a place for everyone,” Maher agreed. “you’re right.”
As a celebrity, Chesney said, “I think there’s a certain kind of ego that lives there, a certain box that lives in your head and your soul. You have to see that for some reason in order to think that you can make a change.”
Maher agreed that celebrities need to rein in that, and scoffed at the idea that “speak up can bring about change.” ”
“I think they’re actually researching this stuff. I think it’s counterproductive when celebrities talk about it,” he argued.
“I agree,” Chesney replied. He later added, “No matter where I’m playing, I’ve never felt like my place is to use my stage and my platform to tell people how to think and how to vote so they can hear it. They can get it anywhere else, on any device, on any network. It’s there as an escape from everything else.”
Maher initially touted that musician Taylor Swift could “save democracy” by endorsing him in the 2024 election, but after former Vice President Kamala Harris’ defeat, he began criticizing celebrities’ political rhetoric as counterproductive.
In an interview with John Mellencamp in February, Maher said, “The point of the Democratic Party, for those who haven’t seen it, was that we have to let celebrities go. You might think they’re helping, but you’re actually hurting them, because people don’t and can never see celebrities in a way that they can empathize with their own lives.”
“The other thing that’s interesting is that most people…we don’t know anything. We don’t know anything,” Mellencamp said. “We don’t know. What’s really going on. We don’t know. And it’s been that way ever since I can remember.”
